Days 143 thru 147 - November 15 thru 19

Hmm, too much has been going on.  Haven't eaten too badly, only three bad days in the past 3 weeks, but not that great either.  When I go out of town and mess up my normal weekend routine the following week is always "ehh".  I'm currently taking the approach that next time will be better.  I realize that making it better is completely my choice and is in my control.

Day 142 - November 14, 2011

B:  2 eggs, 2 bacon, avocado, carrots/fennel
S:  Moroccan chicken with broccoli and carrots
L:  Pork adobo, carrots/fennel, cashews, 2 bananas, 1 apple, 2 packets of almond butter
D:  Progenex, pastrami, carrots/fennel, avocado
S:  Medium carmel light frapp

(The carrots and fennel were only ok.  I think I like cooked carrots better than carrots in a "salad".  Next time I'm going to try the adobo sauce with chicken instead of pork.  I bought 3 pieces of fruit from Sprouts thinking I'd have one of the pieces tomorrow.  Yeah, that didn't happen.  Still living and learning.)

Day 140 and 141 - November 12 and 13, 2011

Vacation and Half Marathon Days.  I ate a lot.  Not all bad.  The most carb laden item was probably a bagel.  I made my dad's recipe for Pork Adobo.  Really good...although his is better.  Stuff's always better when someone else makes it.

Day 138 and 139 - November 10 and 11, 2011

November 10 -
Wasn't bad but I had way too much trail mix and 5 pieces of fruit.  No Starbucks though.  I dunno.

November 11 -
B:  2 eggs, a lot of bacon, yellow squash, avocado
S:  Pot roast, carrots/broccoli/cauliflower
L:  Larabar, carnitas, beets, kale from Whole Foods in El Segundo
S:  Shrimp, grilled vegetables
D:  Celery, packet of almond butter, apple, cashews, medium skinny peppermint mocha from Starbucks

(I cooked 5 different things today.  It was fun.  2 of them are new.  An ok day.)

Day 137 - November 9, 2011

B:  2 eggs, 1 slice of bacon, veggies, broccoli, avocado
L:  Banana, apple, packet of almond butter, pastrami with mustard
S:  Progenex, a ton of almonds/cashews/dried cranberries/dried pineapple
D:  Roast beef with carrots and celery, avocado
S:  Small mocha lite frapp and a ton more of the almonds/etc mix

(I need to decide if it's "better" to drink a 100 calorie sugar drink or eat 2000 "paleo" calories when I'm stressed.  Those seem to be the options.  Tonight I did both which was not the brightest thing to do.  Live and learn.  I keep telling myself that.  Lots of living, not sure about the learning.)

Day 136 - November 8, 2011

B:  2 eggs, 1 slice of thick bacon, veggies, broccoli
S1:  Celery, almond butter
S2:  Apple, banana, 1/4 cup cashews, chicken fried cauliflower "rice"
L:  Lamb kabob, zucchini and carrots
S3:  Small carmel light frap from Starbucks
D:  Progenex, roast beef with carrots and celery, avocado

(Up too late, but it's cool.  I'm eventually saying buy to Starbucks, I just don't know when.)

Day 135 - November 7, 2011

B:  2 eggs with veggies and bacon, broccoli, avocado
L:  Chicken fried cauliflower "rice", zucchini and carrots
S:  1 lamb kabob, artichoke hearts, grilled veggies, avocado, bacon
D:  Progenex, Mahi mahi with salsa verde, zucchini and carrots

(It's only 8:50 but I'm tired.  The time change is messing with my brain.  I'm out of bacon and the two avocados I have left aren't really ripe yet.  :(  Debating making a "quick" trip to Sprouts...but then I'll want to stop at Starbucks...but then I could finally write these darn letters of rec.  Ugh to decisions this late in the day.  Oh, I really liked the Mahi mahi.  Something different.)

S2:  Ok, so I did go to starbucks and I got a small skinny peppermint mocha.  I also got and ate a banana from sprouts.  But I still haven't written any letters.  Ahh.  I'm kinda hungry.  Celery with almond butter?  I think so.

Day 134 - November 6, 2011

B:  2 eggs with bacon and veggies, broccoli, avocado
L:  Pork tenderloin, creamed corn, 2 mini potatoes
S:  Trail mix with dried cranberries and pineapple
S2:  Avocado, bacon
D:  Chicken fried cauliflower "rice", celery, 2 packets of almond butter, medium peppermint mocha lite frap from Starbucks

(Today I didn't eat because I was hungry, I ate because I didn't want to do any work.  It's easier to chow down than to force myself to do things I don't feel like doing.  But by 8:30pm I didn't want to eat anything else and I actually did the work.  Kinda crazy.  I really should just do work at school and not bring it home.)

Days 131, 132, 133 - November 3, 4, and 5

November 3:
B:  2 eggs with veggies and bacon, asparagus, avocado
L:  Lemon chicken with artichoke hearts, eggplant caponata
S:  Banana, packet of almond butter, eggplant caponata
D:  Moroccan chicken with carrots and broccoli, avocado
S:  Small skinny peppermint mocha, 8oz cashews, apple  (while driving to Pismo Beach)

November 4:
B:  2 eggs and 3 slices of bacon
S:  Apple, packet of almond butter
S2:  10 walnut halves
D:  Chili verde and broccoli
S3:  Beef Jerkey, banana, apple, cashews, small skinny peppermint mocha (while driving to Norwalk)
S4:  Avocado

November 5:
B:  Moroccan chicken with carrots and broccoli, avocado
S:  Progenex, 10oz mixed nuts
L:  Moroccan chicken with carrots and broccoli, avocado
S:  Celery, packet of almond butter
D:  Salmon burger patty, carrots and zucchini
S:  Banana, small skinny peppermint mocha
S:  Avocado, bacon, brussels sprouts slaw, celery, packet of almond butter

(I could analyze my life now but I just don't want to.  I have gum to chew for the next driving trip I take up north.  I'm annoyed that I eat to stay awake.  I went to Target tonight and could've eaten anything and everything in the baking/candy aisle.  The last "S" was eaten between 11pm and 12:30am.  What am I doing?)

Day 130 - November 2, 2011

B:  2 eggs with veggies and bacon, asparagus, avocado
L:  Pork tenderloin with carrots, squash, and tomatoes
S:  Lemon chicken with artichoke hearts, eggplant caponata
D:  Progenex, salmon burger patty, eggplant caponata

(Only one more day this week!  I managed to avoid Starbucks today which was nice.  Dunno about tomorrow.  We'll see.)

Day 129 - November 1, 2011

B:  2 eggs with veggies and bacon, asparagus, avocado
L:  Chicken fried cauliflower "rice", 1/2 cucumber
S:  Pork tenderloin, tomatoes, carrots, squash
D:  Celery, almond butter
S:  Small skinny peppermint mocha, bacon, avocado, eggplant caponata

(I got the mocha so I could stay up and correct AP Stats tests but that didn't happen so getting the drink was kinda pointless in that regard.  However, I thought about eating snickers bars at 9am, m&m's at lunch, and pastries at 8pm, so the fact that I didn't do any of that is a good thing.  After a long break from it, I made the  lemon chicken with artichoke hearts this evening.  I hope I still like it.)

Day 128- October 31, 2011

B:  2 eggs with veggies and bacon, asparagus, avocado
S:  Pork tenderloin, squash, tomatoes, carrots
L:  Chicken fried cauliflower "rice"
S:  Progenex, pot roast, carrots, celery
D:  Pot roast, eggplant caponata, avocado, celery, packet of almond butter, small mocha lite frap

(Hmm...I shouldn't eat after 8pm.  I just shouldn't do it.  I'm never really hungry that late.  I usually am eating then because for some dumb reason I don't feel like I did enough during the day.  I don't know how eating is supposed to help that feeling go away because it doesn't.  I know this and yet I'm eating late at night once again.  I really should just go to sleep.)

Day 127 - October 30, 2011

B:  2 eggs with veggies and bacon, green beans, avocado
L:  Lamb sausage, roasted artichoke hearts, grilled veggies
S:  1 packet of almond butter, celery, 1/2 a cucumber
D:  Progenex, pot roast with carrots, celery, and onions

(The pot roast came out well.  I think I may have enough food to get through the week which would be nice.  I like to cook but not all the time.  It's a busy week but it's only 4 days.  Results from week one of the liquid sugar experiment:  I had something from Starbucks on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  Today was a fairly stressful day but I didn't "need" a drink.  Thank goodness.)

Day 126 - October 29, 2011

B:  2 eggs with veggies and bacon, avocado, broccoli
L:  Progenex, pork tenderloin with tomatoes, squash, carrots
S:  One packet of almond butter, celery
S2:  Salmon cake, green beans
D:  Chicken fried cauliflower "rice"
S3:  Small mocha lite frapp from Starbucks

(I like to cook on the weekend.  It's somewhat relaxing and it makes me feel like I'm trying to take care of myself.  Today I fixed the pork tenderloin in the crockpot (It's ok, trying something different next time), I made eggplant caponata for next week and I fixed 3 servings of the chicken fried rice.  Tomorrow I'm cooking a pot roast.  End of the quarter is Friday.  I only need to make it 4 more days.)

Day 125 - October 28, 2011

B:  2 eggs with veggies and bacon, avocado, broccoli
L:  Tri-tip, carrots and zucchini
S:  1 packet almond butter, 3 stalks celery, 1/2 cup cashews
D:  Southwest chicken salad at King's Fish House
S:  Small skinny vanilla latte

(So the drink only has 90 calories if you get the small.  I think I like to drink my sugar calories because the drink lasts longer than if I were to eat 90 calories...that would take like 10 seconds.  So in the past 5 days, I've been to Starbucks 3 times and spent about $12 there.  At least it wasn't everyday.)

Day 124 - October 27, 2011

B:  2 eggs with veggies and bacon, broccoli, avocado
L:  Moroccan chicken with carrots and broccoli, cucumber
S:  Tri-tip, curry cauliflower, medium mocha lite frapp from Starbucks
D:  Progenex, tri-tip, avocado, tomato, 2 celery stalks, 1 packet of almond butter

(For some reason I can "cheat" and drink my sugar calories and it doesn't turn into an eating frenzy.  This is good to know that I can get a B+, so to speak...ok, so maybe it's really a B/B-, but still.  When I try to cheat  by eating sugar-y foods, I get an F, without a doubt.  The packets of almond butter were still on sale last night at Sprouts which made my day.)

Day 123 - October 26, 2011

B:  2 eggs with bacon and veggies, avocado, broccoli
L:  Moroccan chicken with broccoli and carrots, curry cauliflower
S:  Progenex, Tri-tip, sweet potato/zucchini "hash"
D:  Salmon, zucchini and carrots
S:  1/3 cup cashews

(I love all of the vegetables at Sprouts!  Wednesday is the day to shop because you get the end of last week's sales and the start of this week's sales.  The problem is that I have to go by a drive-thru Starbucks to get there.  Tonight I was able to resist.  Another pretty good day.)

Day 122 - October 25, 2011

B:  3 lamb meatballs, green beans, avocado, tomato
L:  Chicken fried cauliflower "rice", curry cauliflower
S:  Moroccan chicken with carrots and broccoli, 1/3 cup cashews
S again:  Small skinny vanilla latte from Starbucks
D:  Tri-tip, Zucchini/carrots, packet of almond butter, 4 celery stalks

(The celery is gone.  I can't believe the packets of almond butter have lasted this long.  Nice to know it's possible.  The lamb meatballs are gone.  They were really good.  I'll definitely make up another batch soon and freeze them like last time.  The drink from Starbucks only had 100 calories.  My goal is to be caffeine free again by January.  Good day.)

Day 121 - October 24, 2011

B:  3 lamb meatballs, green beans, avocado, tomato
L:  Chicken fried cauliflower "rice", curry cauliflower
S:  Moroccan chicken with carrots and broccoli
D:  Progenex, sweet potato/zucchini "hash"
S:  Tri-tip, acorn squash

(Didn't need anything sweet today.  Amazing since 4th period drove me up the wall.)

Day 120 - October 23, 2011

B:  2 eggs with veggies and bacon, green beans, avocado
L:  4 celery sticks with one packet of almond butter, venti mocha lite frappaccino
S:  Tri-tip, sweet potato/zucchini hash
D:  Progenex, Moroccan chicken with broccoli and carrots, avocado

                           This is the sweet potato/zucchini hash.  Next time I'm leaving out the egg.
                                           

(I made curry cauliflower, chicken fried cauliflower "rice", tri-tip, moroccan chicken, and the hash this weekend.  Good cooking weekend.  Next up is something to do with pork tenderloin.)

Day 119 - October 22, 2011

B:  Pot roast, carrots
L:  Progenex, banana, almond butter packet, eggplant caponata
S:  2 eggs with a ton of veggies, 2 slices bacon, broccoli, avocado, banana
D:  Salmon, a lot of eggplant caponata, like 2 cups, it's finally gone though

(I took a 3 hour nap this afternoon.  I did not sleep well last week.  I also did not eat well last week.  I was determined to make today "good"... and it has been so far.

I kinda need to go to the store but I know that if I go out at this point that I'll really want to get some kind of caffeinated beverage at Starbucks.  So I'm thinking I'll just not go out....but then again the drink only has 190 calories....I think it may be "better" to just get the errands done and get the drink instead of thinking about it forever, getting the drink tomorrow, and then descending into food craziness.  Ehh, I dunno.)

Day 117 and 118 - October 20 and 21, 2011

See previous post.

Work hard for what I want and maybe not get it or keep wrecking my body to use that as an excuse later?  This is supposed to be an easy decision.

Day 115 and 116 - October 18 and 19, 2011

:(
I don't want to be honest anymore.

Day 114 - October 17, 2011

For the past year I've jumped from eating idea to eating idea.  Nothing lasts for very long.  I've tried paleo with no cheat days.  I've tried one cheat day a week.  I've tried two cheat meals a week.  I've tried one cheat day every two weeks.  I've tried eating something "non-paleo" once a day.  It's all bad.

I just told myself, "Eat whatever you want."  And I started to cry.  What is wrong with me?  I'm usually so busy trying to make other people happy that I forget what I want.  Sometimes I don't think I even know what I want.    

I really like my egg/bacon/veggie scramble in the mornings with broccoli and an avocado.  So good.  I think the veggie combo of green onions/bell peppers/mushrooms/tomatoes is the best.  I have that almost everyday for breakfast and for some reason it never gets old.

I could have pork or chicken fried cauliflower "rice" everyday.  I never knew I liked cauliflower that much.

I could eat shrimp or salmon everyday with veggies like the carrots/zucchini thing I've made twice or the eggplant caponata.  I also really like the moroccan chicken I made this weekend.  The chicken with lemon and artichoke hearts is also pretty good.  And chicken stir-fry is also ok.  And this is why my brain is on overload with this eating crap.  Why do I eat the stuff that's only "ok" for the sake of variety when I could just have the stuff that's "really good".

I could also eat pot roast with roasted carrots/celery/onions everyday or a tri-tip salad.

Those would be my 4 meals a day.

Eating should not be this big of a deal.  Eating fuels your body to do the things you really want to be doing.  So what do I really want to be doing?  Here's to figuring that out because right now I have no idea.

(Notice how I'm not writing what I ate today...it wasn't as bad as Thursday's 10 candy bars, but I just don't feel like writing it.  It's late for me....oh forget it, I'll write it... Avocado, chicken fried cauliflower "rice", 2 fruit by the foots, moroccan chicken with broccoli and carrots, 3 stalks of celery, 1 packet of almond butter, salmon, eggplant caponata, cashews, progenex, cucumber, venti mocha lite frap, 3 candy bars, 2/3 of a tray of pumpkin bars.)

Day 113 - October 16, 2011

B:  2 eggs with veggies and 3 slices of bacon, avocado, broccoli
L:  Chicken caesar salad, 2 Tbls of guacamole
S:  Spinach salad with 2 hard boiled eggs and 3 slices of bacon, 3 celery sticks with 1 packet of almond butter
D:  Progenex, leftover moroccan chicken with carrots, broccoli, and green olives, cucumber

(I'm passing on the fruit for a bit, just to see how it goes.  It's like a game.  I cooked eggplant caponata today and I have a pot roast with vegetables cooking now.  I feel ready for the week!)

Day 112 - October 15, 2011

B:  2 eggs with veggies, broccoli, avocado
L:  Progenex, chicken fried cauliflower "rice"
S:  Lettuce, shrimp, red bell pepper, avocado, handful of carrots, vinegar and walnut oil dressing
D:  Moroccan chicken with carrots and broccoli
S:  Venti mocha lite frap with no whip cream...not the best of choices but i'm moving on.

                           The Moroccan chicken was a new recipe.  I have leftovers so I'm glad I liked it.

(I haven't felt this good on a Saturday in a long time.  I want to bottle up this feeling so I can remember it when next weekend rolls around.)

Day 111 - October 14, 2011

B:  2 eggs with veggies, broccoli, avocado
L:  2 hard boiled eggs, carrots and zucchini, cucumber
S:  Chili, 2 handfuls of baby carrots
D:  Chicken kabob, lamb kabob, grilled veggies, roasted artichoke hearts
S:  Mixed nuts

(A way better day than yesterday.  The Olive Pit in Brea raised their kabob prices about 15% which made me sad.  I have chicken and a beef roast that I need to cook this weekend.  I may try a new chicken recipe just for something different.)

Days 108-110 - October 11-13, 2011

Hmm, I was at Disneyland for my friend's 30th birthday on the 11th.  I ate ice cream and sweet chocolate things and french fries and an oreo mcflurry.  Not too bad but not great at all.  (Rereading this makes me laugh since I think this wasn't "too bad".)

On the 12th I ate straight paleo.

Today was the fall apart day...normal breakfast but then pumpkin loaf from starbucks, probably 10 candy bars, 4 cupcakes, trail mix with chocolate covered peanuts, 2 venti mocha frappacino's, and brownies with cherry pie filling.  I did manage to eat a bowl of chili in the midst of all the craziness.

Big sigh.  There is an end to all this in sight.  I just need to keep going and get there.  I can't live the rest of my life this way.  It's not fun.  Thank goodness I like working out or I would've gained back all my weight by now eating this way.

Day 107 - October 10, 2011

I'm apparently not capable of having a good day.  Even when good things happen I seem to want to mess other things up so that the entire day as a whole is kind of a wash...neither good nor bad, although with the way I think if it's not a perfect day then it just kinda sucked.  Eating well in August worked because it was like a contest with myself to see if I could make it to September.  It's too late at night to be thinking about all this crap.

B:  2 hard boiled eggs, curry cauliflower, 1/2 cucumber
L:  Pork fried cauliflower "rice"
S:  Baby carrots, lettuce, avocado, 3 slices bacon, chicken, tomato
D:  Progenex, 3 lamb meatballs, carrots and zucchini
S:  A ton of apples and a bunch of mixed nuts...wtf.

Day 106 - October 9, 2011

B:  2 eggs, 3 slices bacon, 1 zucchini, avocado, other veggies
L:  Chicken thigh and leg, 1/4c. coleslaw, 1/2 salad
S:  2 minin pork chops, squash and carrots
D:  Progenex, huge salad with veggies, chicken, avocado

(I'm falling asleep.  :(  This was not a weekend to catch up on that.  I could probably go to sleep now.  Maybe I will!  This is the squash and carrots.  It's really good.)

Day 105 - October 8, 2011

Hmm...I woke up at 3:30am yesterday.  It was a long day.  I ate a ton.  The biscuit on Friday as well as talking with my friend about someday being a more "normal" eater again had me thinking about sweets all day Saturday.  Not great.  I went back to my old way of thinking and pretty much decided to make a Cheesecake Factory run at 11:20pm.  Not the best of decisions.  I also can't decide if writing everything I eat on here really deters me from doing whatever I want anyways.  On one hand I say I want certain things fitness-wise and then on the other hand I eat like crap 2-3 times a week, like a self-sabotogue thing.  I'm waiting for the day when the light bulb goes on and everything clicks into place.

2 eggs, bacon, veggies, broccoli, avocado, chicken, tomato, more bacon, another avocado, progenex, pot roast, carrots with squash, raw carrots, cucumber, lettuce, salmon burger patty, another avocado, more carrots with squash, cashews, 2 apples, 2 bananas, dried pineapple, I think another avocado, 1 piece of coconut chocolate cake/cheesecake and 1 piece of peanut butter chocolate cake/cheesecake.

Day 104 - October 7, 2011

B:  2 eggs with bacon and veggies, broccoli, avocado
S:  Chicken, brussels sprouts
L:  Pork fried cauliflower "rice"
S:  Cashews, dried apricots, 1 lara bar
D:  Beef brisket, peanut slaw, 1/2 fried dill pickle, some onion straws, 1/2 "egg roll", biscuit at Lucille's
S:  Avocado, bacon

(The biscuit at Lucille's was a "nervous" eating thing.  I didn't really need it.  But it didn't lead to a complete collapse so that was a bonus...but now it's 5:21am on Saturday and I'm thinking I need to correct geometry tests and I really don't want to and for some reason I know I could get them done if I go to Starbucks cuz there's no distractions there but if I go there I'll end up getting a sugary drink of some sort.  Ahh.)

Day 103 - October 6, 2011

B:  2 eggs with bacon and veggies, broccoli, avocado
S:  Pork fried cauliflower "rice", apple
L:  Lamb kabobs, grilled veggies, roasted artichoke hearts
S:  Chicken, avocado
D:  Progenex, pot roast, brussels sprouts, avocado

                            I finally got around to making the brussels sprouts with bacon.  They were ok.


(Last Friday was a bad eating day.  Tomorrow can't be like that.  There's no reason to let that happen.  I need to be smart and not overly emotional.  I ate a lot of avocados today.  Right now they're only 49 cents at Sprouts.  I think I could eat the pork fried cauliflower "rice" everyday.)

Day 101 and 102 - October 4 and 5, 2011

October 4th wasn't very good... 2 eggs with veggies and bacon, cucumber, avocado, celery with almond butter, seafood enchilada with no tortilla, 12 lara bars, 4 apples, 2 bananas, 16oz of cashews, pot roast, carrots, "club" salad bowl from Which Wich in Fullerton.

October 5th was way better...  2 eggs with veggies and bacon, broccoli, avocado, pork fried cauliflower "rice", cucumber, seafood enchilada with no tortilla, pot roast, carrots, avocado, broccoli, progenex, celery with almond butter.

Late on October 4th a friend was telling me that her 18 year old nephew "needs a miracle" to beat cancer.  He's been going through chemo and radiation for about 10 months.  The news made me cry.  It made me realize how dumb I act sometimes, throwing away my health like it doesn't matter.  I need to try harder and today I did.

Day 100 - October 3, 2011

B:  2 eggs with veggies, broccoli, avocado
L:  Pork fried cauliflower "rice", cucumber
S:  Chicken kabobs, grilled veggies, roasted artichoke hearts
D:  Progenex, pot roast, zucchini and carrots, avocado, 2 bananas

(Overall the eating situation has gotten better even though it's still not perfect.  I can't expect to be perfect...cuz that just messes me up.  Here's to another 100 days!)

Day 99 - October 2, 2011

2 eggs with veggies, broccoli, avocado, 16oz of mixed nuts, chili, fruit salad, 3 apples, 1 banana, strawberries, 3 single serving size packets of almond butter, 2 larabars and 1 kind bar, pot roast, carrots, onions, bites of the following food I was cooking:
seafood "enchiladas", cucumber, pork fried cauliflower "rice".

Friday and today were binge days...I don't think I like that word.  Not sure why.  So tired.  Need sleep.

Day 98 - October 1, 2011

B:  Pork fried cauliflower "rice", broccoli, avocado
S:  Banana
L:  Chicken and roasted veggies at Macaroni Grill
S:  Tri-tip, 2 avocados, baby carrots
D:  Tri-tip, roasted carrots and zucchini

(From about 5pm on I really wanted to eat a ton of mixed nuts but I didn't have any at home.  I was thinking about going out and getting some but finally decided to just forget about it and get them later.  I'm going to go to Ralphs now.  I shouldn't buy any mixed nuts because if I do then I'll end up eating them all, all at once.  I have to correct Geometry quizzes which I don't want to do and I think that's why I just wanted to eat yesterday.  I also managed to resist eating a 4th avocado.  I need to get a grip...it's the weekend.)

Day 97 - September 30, 2011

For some reason this wasn't a good day and I don't really know why.  Maybe cuz I didn't get enough sleep last night.  Maybe because Geometry took a quiz today so I'm going to need to spend about 3 hours correcting that this weekend.  Maybe because I feel like I need a one week break from life.  Anyways, here's what I ate today...half an hour ago I felt kinda sick.

Pork fried cauliflower "rice", broccoli, avocado, carrots, 4 apples, 3 bananas, about 1.5 cups cashews, 12 lara bars, dried fruit with mixed nuts from Target, chicken with ham, peas and carrots, tri-tip, eggplant caponata

Day 96 - September 29, 2011

B:  Pork fried cauliflower "rice", avocado
L:  Chicken and artichokes, carrots
S:  Lamb kabobs, grilled vegetables, roasted artichoke hearts
D:  Progenex, banana, apple, carrots, avocado, tri-tip

(I still haven't made my brussels sprouts with bacon because now I am out of bacon.  Tomorrow I'm eating out with friends for dinner at a British place in Fullerton.  I'm glad I only bought two pieces of fruit today when I stopped at Target.)

Day 95 - September 28, 2011

B:  2 egg omelette, broccoli, avocado
S:  Chicken and artichokes, eggplant caponata, coconut
L:  Pastrami, carrots
S:  Avocado
D:  Progenex, pork fried cauliflower "rice", some tri-tip, carrots

(I finally cooked the tri-tip.  It was nice to finish off the pastrami.  I don't think I want to eat eggplant again until at least next week.  Only two more days this week.  I'm gonna make it!)

Day 94- September 27, 2011

B:  2 egg omelette, broccoli, spinach
S:  Pastrami, celery, coconut, eggplant caponata
L:  Chicken and artichoke hearts, banana
S:  Chicken, shrimp, scallops, broccoli, salad at Red Lobster in Brea
D:  Progenex, spinach salad, baby carrots, avocado

(Ate more today than normal but nothing in a robotic state so that was good.  A kid at lunch gave me the banana.  At first I told him I didn't want it but then went ahead and accepted it.  The sides at Red Lobster were broccoli, mashed potatoes, rice pilaf, and fries.  I had a double portion of broccoli and it was pretty good.  Tomorrow for dinner I need to eat some of the tri-tip....but I still need to cook it.)

Day 93 - September 26, 2011

B:  Pork fried cauliflower "rice", avocado
L:  Pastrami, celery, eggplant caponata
S:  Lamb kabobs, grilled veggies, roasted artichoke hearts
D:  3 lamb meatballs, avocado, a bunch of baby carrots

(Cooking the lamb meatballs always makes my condo incredibly smokey.  I'm cooking chicken and artichokes now.  I need to cook another tri-tip roast either tomorrow or Wednesday.  It was on sale at Albertsons for $2.99/pound.  I've been wanting to try a brussels sprouts recipe with bacon for over a month.  I think it's gonna happen this week.  I've decided to lay off the fruit and mixed nuts, at least for a little bit.  I don't like weighing 195 pounds.)

Day 91 and 92 - September 24 and 25

September 24th - So here's what I ate yesterday up north while visiting my 89 year old grandpa who is living in a nursing home and pretty much not liking life and even mentioned that he wished my grandma were still alive even though she had been slowly declining in health for 7-8 years and at the end had no idea what was really going on...
7 apples, 5 bananas, 1 basket of strawberries, 5 larabars, container of cashews, 2 avocados, pastrami, chicken/veggie stir fry, 4 cucumbers, and a bag of mixed nuts/dried fruit trail mix from Trader Joe's

September 25th -
B:  2 egg omelette, spinach, avocado
L:  Chicken breast, corn, avocado, 2 cucumbers
S:  Spinach salad with 2 hard boiled eggs, red onion, and 4 slices bacon
D:  Pork fried cauliflower "rice", carrots, avocado, progenex

(I made eggplant caponata this afternoon so now I have 4 servings of that.  I'm not going to buy pastrami at Costco ever again.  It's too much to eat before it goes bad.  I'm having it tomorrow and probably Tuesday too.  No crazy eating today so that was nice.)

Day 90 and 91 - September 23 and 24, 2011

I'm going to go with the erroneous thought that if I don't write about the day then it didn't actually happen.  The mini trip up north is over so now I have no excuse...and even that one wasn't very good.

Day 89 - September 22, 2011

B:  Omelette, broccoli, avocado
S:  Pork fried cauliflower "rice"
L:  Chicken, 3 cucumbers, 1/2 red bell pepper
S:  Mixed nuts, cucumber, avocado, 6 carrots
D:  Chicken stir fry, avocado

                                         (Chicken Stir Fry - I used roasted chicken from Costco)

(Next time I'm going to actually follow the recipe for "stir fry sauce" that I found on EverydayPaleo.com.  This was good but I think it could be better.)

Day 88 - September 21, 2011

B:  Big ass omelette, avocado, broccoli
S:  Tri-tip, eggplant caponata, coconut
L:  Chicken, carrots
S:  A ton of mixed nuts
D:  Turkey, 2 cucumbers, 1 apple

(I ate a ton of mixed nuts because I bought a ton of mixed nuts.  I only ate one apple because I only bought one apple.  Patterns patterns everywhere...in math this is fun, in life I dunno.)

Day 87 - September 20, 2011

B:  I'm just going to start writing "big ass omlette" because it's what I eat almost everyday, broccoli, avocado
S:  Chicken and artichokes, zucchini and cauliflower, coconut
L:  Tri-tip, eggplant caponata, carrots
S:  Tri-tip, mixed nuts, chicken
D:  Progenex, turkey, mixed nuts

(I feel ok about today.  I decided at Costco that there is no way I shouldn't be able to handle having some mixed nuts around, so I bought the giant container.  It serves 40 says the side panel.  I wanna see if I can make it to at least 20 servings.  Tomorrow is cooking night...I'm going to try at least one new recipe.  I'm excited about it.)

Day 86 - September 19, 2011

B:  2 eggs, small avocado, broccoli, spinach, 1/2 red bell pepper, mushrooms, green onions
S:  2/3 chicken breast with artichoke hearts, zucchini/cauliflower medley, eggplant caponata, coconut
L:  Tri-tip, broccoli vinaigrette slaw, 2 cucumbers, 1 carrot, small avocado
D:  Banana, ham, eggplant caponata, 2 cucumbers, small avocado

(Probably ate too much, but I don't feel "stuffed".  The reason I didn't go crazy on the fruit is because I only bought one banana when I stopped at the store...and I forgot to get eggs.  :(  I have two left though for tomorrow morning.  Tomorrow I need to cook the 2 pork chops in my fridge that I got on sale Sunday at Ralphs.  Then I can make the cauliflower fried rice again.  I've tried it with shrimp and with chicken but the pork is the best by far.)

Days 83, 84 and 85 - September 16, 17, and 18

Big sigh.  Still no processed sugar so that's a good thing.  Still eat way too much "paleo" food when I'm bored, tired, stressed, etc so that's a bad thing.  So tomorrow I "begin again" yet again wondering if this time will be any different.  I did make eggplant caponata tonight and cooked a tri-tip roast so I'm happy about that.

Day 81 and 82 - September 14 and 15, 2011

I ate too many apples yesterday and today.  The "tempting fate idea" by buying 14 apples at once at Costco was not a good plan.  I've still eaten a bunch of vegetables, chicken, avocados, and corned beef, but the apples "win" on what I've had the most.  Ugh and move on.  Here we go again.

Day 80 - September 13, 2011

B:  2 eggs, 3 mushrooms, 1/2 red bell pepper, broccoli, avocado
S:  2/3 chicken breast, artichoke hearts, lemon carrots, apple
L:  Beef kabobs, grilled veggies, roasted artichoke hearts at The Olive Pit in Brea
D:  Apple, a TON of cashews, macadamia nuts, carrots, 1 slice of corned beef at Sprouts

(Drink more water!  Do not buy seeds or nuts!!!  Plan a little bit better.)

Day 79 - September 12, 2011

B:  2 eggs, 1/2 red bell pepper, broccoli, avocado
L:  2/3 chicken breast, artichoke hearts, lemon carrots
S:  2/3 chicken breast, curry cauliflower, apple
D:  Beef, squash, tomatoes, mushrooms, 1/4 cup yams, coconut

(I bought a pack of 14 apples from Costco so in theory those should last for 14 days.  Gotta make that happen.  I've decided I'm going to try shrimp fried cauliflower "rice" next time instead of using pork.  My next cooking day is Wednesday...or maybe tomorrow depending on when I get home...cuz the fried rice is better after it sits around a day.)

Day 78 - September 11, 2011

B:  2 eggs, 1/2 red bell pepper, 1.5 cups broccoli, avocado
L:  Ham, 4 mini slices of cheese, tomato slices, "asian" slaw
S:  Beef, squash, tomatoes, mushrooms, coconut
D:  Salmon burger patty, curry cauliflower, celery, carrots, 1/4 cup yams, a few bites of chicken to see if it was any good

                            The curry cauliflower is great!  I get 3 servings out of one head of cauliflower.

(I've been wanting to try the salmon burger patty for a month.  It didn't hold together very well when I flipped it but I'm ok with that.  It tasted really good.  I cooked 4 things tonight to eat this week.  I'm pretty happy with how this whole eating thing is going.)

Day 77 - September 10, 2011

B:  2 eggs, 2 slices canadian bacon, 1/2 red bell pepper, avocado, banana
L:  Salmon, 1/4 cup fried yams, kale, banana, apple
D:  Beef, squash, mushrooms, tomatoes, avocado
S:  2 nectarines, coconut

(I don't have too much of a problem only eating "paleo" foods but I still eat when I'm bored or don't want to do what I really should be doing like work for school.  I had 5 pieces of fruit.  Wow, and not in a good way.)

Day 76 - September 9, 2011

B:  2 eggs, tri-tip, broccoli, avocado
S:  Chicken, kale, celery
L:  Pulled pork, mustard slaw, collard greens, 2 pickles at Lucille's
D:  Brat sausage with onions and peppers, greens with squash and carrots, banana at Angel Stadium
S:  Apple, cashews, coconut

(I finally looked to see how many calories coconut has.  Wow, like 200 for 1/4 cup.  I have no fresh meat in the fridge.  :(  I'm defrosting a salmon fillet from Costco but I know I'm going to need to go to the store at some point tomorrow.)

Day 75 - September 8, 2011

B:  2 eggs, 1/2 red bell pepper, 3 slices bacon, 1 cup broccoli, avocado
S:  Chicken, coconut, celery, 1/2 cucumber
L:  Tri-tip, kale, avocado
D:  Pork fried cauliflower "rice", 1/2 cucumber, some chicken.

(I'm exhausted and I've only been thru 3 days this week.  I need to do so many things that I think I may just go to bed instead.)

Day 74 - September 7, 2011

B:  2 eggs, 1/2 red bell pepper, 3 slices bacon, avocado
L:  Chicken, lemon carrots, coconut flakes
S:  Tri-tip, 3 celery stalks, 1/2 cucumber
D:  Pork fried cauliflower "rice", a lot of blueberries...probably 1.5 cups, maybe 2

(I felt like the blueberries were getting old so I ate them all up.  I ran out of lemon carrots today and it's kinda late for me to be cooking anything so I dunno about tomorrow.  We'll see how it goes.  It should be ok.  I can steam something up in the morning if I really think I need to.  I currently have no fruit.  I should have bought some today when I went to Sprouts in Brea.  Ahh well, live and learn.)

Day 73 - September 6, 2011

B:  Pork fried cauliflower "rice", avocado
L:  Costco chicken, eggplant livorno, coconut flakes
S:  Tri-tip, coleslaw
D:  Lamb kabobs, grilled vegetables, roasted artichoke hearts from The Olive Pit in Brea

(The eggplant livorno is finally gone.  I didn't miss the eggs this morning.  I have lemon carrots for tomorrow but may resort to celery and cucumbers for my other meal's vegetables which I've decided right now that I have to be ok with that.  I left at 6:10am and didn't get home until 8:50pm.  I'm really tired.  On my way home I was thinking, "I should eat something when I get there" but then I thought, "But you're not hungry at all."  I only would have been eating for something to do.  Last year I would've eaten anything.  This year I didn't.  What a difference 365 days makes.)

Day 72 - September 5, 2011

B:  Chicken (part of the roasted ones from Costco), lemon carrots, eggplant livorno, avocado
L:  Pork fried cauliflower "rice", blueberries, coconut flakes
S:  Tri-tip, vinaigrette coleslaw (with cabbage, celery, green onions and cashews), 1/2 cucumber
D:  Chicken, coleslaw, lemon carrots, coconut flakes

(I really like the lemon carrots.  I don't like the eggplant livorno very much.  It's only ok.  The vinaigrette coleslaw was also "eh".  I was surprised at how easy it was to cook the tri-tip roast.  I figure I'll get 5 servings from it.  Woohoo.  I also was reminded today that I don't get nearly as hungry when I'm drinking enough water.  I didn't cook enough this weekend to make it through the week which means Wednesday or Thursday needs to be a mini cooking night, which should be cool.)

Day 71 - September 4, 2011

Big sigh...I don't know if I want to write all of this today...it wasn't so great.  Ahh, here it goes:

Breakfast at 3:15am - Banana, 3 celery stalks, almond butter
Snack at 8:10am - Banana
Breakfast again at 9:00am - 2 eggs, 4 slices bacon, ham steak at Mimi's Cafe
Lunch at 12:05pm - Leftover beerocks, 1/2 cucumber, avocado
Snack if it can be called that at 3:00pm - Celery and the rest of the jar of almond butter.
Dinner at 9:45pm - Banana, some pork fried cauliflower "rice" and a ton of cashews, like 2 cups at least.

(So nuts and nut butter are not easy to have around and not go crazy on them.  Maybe because they remind me of salt even though the ones I got were unsalted.  I don't really know.  I just know I shouldn't buy them anymore.  I keep telling myself I should be able to do certain things, like have a jar of almond butter in my fridge, but no, not right now.  I hate making the same mistake over and over again.  But here's to another day.  I'm going to cook a tri-tip roast for the first time ever tomorrow.  Yay!)

Day 70 - September 3, 2011

B:  2 eggs, avocado, 8 mini peppers, 3 slices of bacon
S:  Banana, coconut flakes, 12 medium shrimp, eggplant caponata
L:  Beerocks...basically ground beef with cabbage and onions usually all encased in bread, 1/2 cucumber
D:  Chicken, lemon carrots, eggplant livorno and I may have had another avocado...I can't remember now.

(I cooked a lot in the morning.  It was nice to get a bunch of stuff ready so I have good food ready to eat whenever.  The beerocks was better when my dad made it.  He asked what dough I had used and I said I just ate the filling.  He was shocked but I explained how I was doing the no sugar, no flour, no grains etc. thing.  He mentioned pork adobo and I had been thinking about that too but he said there's no way he could eat that without rice or noodles and I mentioned that cauliflower "rice" was pretty good.  I may try and make that later this week depending on how things go.)

Day 69 - September 2, 2011

B:  2 eggs, 5 mushrooms, 4 mini peppers, 1/2 cup broccoli, 1 avocado
S:  12 medium shrimp, eggplant caponata, baby carrots, 1/4 cup coconut, banana
L:  Beef Kabobs, roasted artichoke hearts, grilled vegetables from The Olive Pit
D:  Seafood cobb salad with oil and vinegar from King's Fish House
S:  Chicken, 1 avocado

(The banana was good.  I have one more for tomorrow.  I also bought blueberries tonight for Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and maybe Wednesday.  I was starving by 2pm.  I ate.  Then I ate again around 5:30.  Finally I ate even more.  Now I'm not hungry but I am exhausted.  Yay 3 day weekend.)

Day 68 - September 1, 2011

B:  12 medium shrimp, avocado, eggplant caponata, carrots
S:  Beef, zucchini, red peppers, mushrooms
L:  Pork fried cauliflower "rice", romaine, carrots
D:  3 hard boiled eggs, eggplant caponata, 1/4 cup coconut flakes
S:  Romaine, avocado

(I feel like I had a lot of carrots today.  I haven't eaten two avocados in the same day for a really long time.  I bought two somewhat green bananas today at Henry's.  I gotta make sure I don't go overboard on fruit.  I'm trying a new recipe on Saturday with ground beef.  I can't remember the last time I cooked with ground beef.  It should be interesting.)

Day 67 - August 31, 2011

B:  2 eggs, 3 mushrooms, 4 mini peppers, 1 cup broccoli, 1/2 avocado
S:  2/3 chicken breast, artichoke hearts, baby carrots, 1/4 cup coconut flakes
L:  beef kabob, mushrooms, red peppers, zucchini
D:  pork fried cauliflower "rice", 1/2 avocado

(First day of school went alright.  I made it through the month without a ton of sugar.  The main item was a can of 7-up last week.  It was not worth it.  It's been really nice not fighting with food on a daily basis.  If I take the time to plan ahead a little bit I know I can eat this way all school year and that's a nice thing to understand.)

Day 66 - August 30, 2011

B:  2 eggs, 1/2 avocado, 3 mushrooms, 4 mini peppers, 1 cup broccoli
S:  2/3 chicken breast, baby carrots, artichoke hearts
L:  chicken breast, 1/2 cup salad, 1/4 cup fruit salad
S:  1/4 cup pork chop, 1/2 avocado, baby carrots
D:  Steak kabob, mushrooms, red peppers, zucchini

                I made more eggplant caponata so I can take it for my lunch the rest of the week.

(It worked out that today was a cooking day.  I made the eggplant stuff, another batch of pork fried cauliflower "rice" and the steak kabobs.  I think I'm ready for tomorrow.  And if not, well it's coming anyways.)

Day 65 - August 29, 2011

B:  2 eggs, avocado, 1 cup broccoli, 3 mushrooms, 3 mini peppers
S:  2 cups raw baby carrots, 1/4 cup coconut flakes
L:  2/3 chicken breast and artichoke hearts in a lemon sauce
D:  Leftover pork fried cauliflower "rice", 1 handful raw baby carrots

(I really like the pork fried "rice" leftover.  The flavors have a chance to meld together.  Tastes so good.  I "name" my summers.  Last summer was "yosemite, chicago/michigan/ben, and mosaics".  This summer was "New York, grandpa's, and cooking".  I'm so glad I've been able to try so many new recipes this past month.  It's been fun.)

Day 64 - August 28, 2011

B:  2 eggs, 1/2 avocado, 2 slices canadian bacon, 3 mushrooms, 4 mini peppers, 1 cup broccoli.
S:  3 lamb meatballs, 2 mini cucumbers.
L:  Chicken enchiladas, fruit salad.
S:  1/2 avocado, handful of baby carrots.
D:  Pork fried cauliflower "rice".

(The lamb meatballs were interesting.  I have 17 of them frozen.  I'm ready for school to start but then again not really.  I'm going to get to know kids for ten months and then 75 out of 200 of them will be gone.  They'll graduate.  I've already taught some of these kids when they were in the 9th or 10th grade.  It's so hard for me to say goodbye that for the first time I don't want the year to start.  Oh well, this is what I do, and I do love it.  I'm not planning on being a crazy eating person this year so that in and of itself should make this a better year than last year.  Here's to the adventure.)

Day 63 - August 27, 2011

B:  2 eggs, 1 cup broccoli, 1/2 avocado, 4 peppers, 3 mushrooms.
L:  Beef stew, cooked carrots, romaine.
S:  Part of a pork chop, raw baby carrots, 2 baby cucumbers, 1/2 avocado
D:  Chicken, beef, guacamole, green salsa, eggplant caponata, salad with walnuts and fruit, paleo brownie

(I have a lot of leftover pork which will be good for my fried "rice".  I need to make the lamb meatballs tomorrow morning.  I wonder if you freeze them before or after you cook them.  This will be about the tenth new recipe I've tried this month.  It's been fun.  When school starts and things get crazy I need to remember that planning ahead and eating well is worth it.)

Day 62 - August 26, 2011

B:  2 eggs, 1/2 avocado, broccoli, mushrooms, peppers, 3 small tomatoes
L:  Lamb kabobs, grilled veggies, roasted artichoke hearts for The Olive Pit
S:  2 hard boiled eggs, 1/2 avocado, 2 cucumbers, raw baby carrots, coconut flakes
D:  Beef stew, cooked baby carrots, coconut flakes, raw baby carrots, romaine

(I need to drink more water.  Sometimes when I think I'm hungry, I'm pretty sure I'm just thirsty.  I found pine nuts today at Sprouts in Brea.  They were on sale for $20/pound...what?  I got about 1/4 of a cup and it cost less than $3 so not too bad.  Now I can try the true lamb meatball recipe probably on Sunday.  Tomorrow I want to grill pork chops so I can make the pork fried cauliflower "rice" again.  Back to work on Monday.  Should be interesting.)

Day 61 - August 25, 2011

B:  2 eggs, 1/2 avocado, 1 cup steamed broccoli, 3 mushrooms, 4 mini peppers
L:  2/3 of a chopped salad from The Corner Bakery
S:  Chicken, 1/2 avocado
D:  Sirloin, peppers, lettuce, peanut slaw from Lucille's

(Good day.  I definitely need to eat 4 times a day.  My headache lingered this morning but finally went away.  I wanted to make lamb meatballs tomorrow and the recipe calls for pine nuts.  I looked at Whole Foods and they were $12.99 for like a cup of pine nuts, so I'm either leaving them out or getting them someplace else.  I decided a few days ago that I do not like the coconut butter but I know coconut is a good fat so I bought coconut flakes today at Whole Foods.  We'll see.)

Day 60 - August 24, 2011

B:  2 eggs, 2 small tomatoes, 1/2 avocado, mushrooms, peppers
L:  Chicken, 2 small cucumbers, 1 cup baby carrots
S:  3 cups spinach, 2 hard boiled eggs, 2.5 slices bacon, 1/2 avocado
D:  Beef stew with carrots
S:  Chicken, 2 small cucumbers

(I also had a regular 7-up on the way to the concert which had 38g of sugar.  That's a lot given the past 23 days.  I ended up with a headache but that could've been the 13,500 screaming/singing fans.  It was a very fun night.)

Day 59 - August 23, 2011

B:  Chicken, avocado, 2 medium tomatoes.
L:  Chicken, 2 small cucumbers, 1 cup baby carrots.
S:  Beef stir-fry, 2 cups steamed broccoli, celery.
D:  Spinach, 2 hard boiled eggs, 2.5 pieces of bacon.
S:  Garlic beef stew with carrots, celery.

(The crockpot worked well with the stew meat and carrots.  I used a recipe from Everyday Paleo.  I also cut up some of the stew meat for the beef stir fry.  Not that great.  I did marinate the meat though so that was a step in the right direction.  I haven't been counting calories, I've just been eating.  I think this can all be deemed an "adventure" and I'm ok with that right now.)

Day 58 - August 22, 2011

B:  3 eggs, 1/2 red pepper, 2 small tomatoes, 3 slices bacon, and I think I had an avocado
L:  Steak kabobs, grilled veggies, and roasted artichoke hearts from The Olive Pit in Brea
S:  Almond butter, celery, avocado
D:  Chicken, celery, almond butter
S:  Salmon, romaine, 1/2 red pepper

(I bought "stew meat" at Costco so now I need to find a "stew" recipe.  My dad mentioned browning the meat first in some flour and powdered sugar.  Those two items are not currently in my kitchen, so this should be an interesting food experiment, probably happening tomorrow.  No more almond butter or sunflower seed butter or any nut butters until September 2011.  This is a game.  I like games...if I think I have a chance of winning.  If I eat any nut butters the rest of the month I'll give anyone who notices $20...ugh, I don't know if that is enough money...$50.)

Days 55, 56, and 57 - August 19, 20, and 21

Friday:
Bison Kebab, 1/2 yellow squash, 2 mushrooms, 1/4 red pepper.
Lemon carrots.
Cobb Salad at Brooksfield in Sacramento/Rancho Cordova
Turkey lunch meat, beets, tomatoes/lemon cucumbers/red peppers in vinaigrette.

Saturday:
2 eggs, 2 slices of ham lunch meat.
Tons of turkey lunch meat, lemon carrots.
Pork ribs, salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, and green bell peppers, green beans.
Celery, almond butter.
2/3 carrot pancake, coconut butter.

Sunday:
2 eggs, 3 slices bacon, 1 tomato, 1 avocado, 2 cups steamed broccoli.
Chicken taco, shrimp taco, beef taco, carnitas taco but no shells.
Salmon, cucumber, red pepper, 8 carrots.

(I'm only giving the coconut butter one more chance to be good.  Ugh...maybe two.  My fridge is pretty empty.  I need to go shopping tomorrow.  I know squash is on sale at Sprouts in Brea.  I need one of those roasted chickens from Costco and eggs and broccoli.  I'm not a big fan of lunch meat but it was absolutely necessary on Friday on the farm.  Oh man...21 days with no blatant sugar.  I think I'm past the point where things have fallen apart in the past.  I can't get complacent now.  I'm making it to 30 days.)

Day 54 - August 18, 2011

B:  3 eggs, 5 mushrooms, 1/4 red pepper, 2 cups steamed broccoli, 1 avocado
L:  0.4 pounds of bison, 1/4 red pepper, 1/2 yellow squash, 3 mushrooms (all grilled) and a taste of coconut butter
S:  1 cup of lemon carrots
D:  Beef Brisket, 2/3 cup creamed corn, 2/3 cup thai peanut slaw at Lawry's Carvery near Staples Center

                   (In the interest of time I didn't skewer the vegetables.  I have enough for leftovers.)


(The last two days I used walnut oil to cook my eggs and veggies instead of olive oil.  I can't tell the difference in taste.  If it's ok to eat an avocado a day then I'm all for that.  The bison was really good, better than the bison meatballs I tried in New York.  I forgot to ask them to hold the BBQ sauce on the brisket at dinner.  It definitely had a bunch of sugar.  My parents are here though and there is no crap food in my condo so no chance to go into eating frenzy mode.  Heading out to see family for the next 3 days which means I'll be in an "internet free zone" until late Sunday night.)

Day 53 - August 17, 2011

B:  3 eggs, 2/3 of an avocado, 1/4 red pepper, 4 mushrooms, 2 cups steamed broccoli

L:  Steak kabobs with grilled veggies and roasted artichoke hearts

S:  celery and almond butter

D:  Chopped salad (which included salami, onions, pear tomatoes, cheese and garbanzo beans) at Mozza Pizzeria in LA

S:  celery and sunflower seed butter and almond butter

(I'm only going to be eating 4 times a day when school starts and I decided today that I can't waste one of those meals eating nut butter and celery.  So I'm done with it.  At least for now.  After a week of haggling in my brain about this darn nut butter I decided I like the quote from I don't know where... "Be not afraid of going slowly; be only afraid of standing still.")

Day 52 - August 16, 2011

6:30am - 3 eggs, 3 mushrooms, 2 cups steamed broccoli, 1/2 avocado
10:00am - 9 shrimp with cilantro lime dressing, 1/2 cucumber, lemon carrots
1:00pm - steak kabobs with 1 zucchini, 1/2 red pepper and 4 mushrooms, 2 raw carrots
5:30pm - celery, 1 single serving size of walnut butter and almond butter
10:00pm - 8 shrimp, lemon carrots, celery, sunflower seed butter and almond butter

(So I'm 16 days into this "adventure".  When I've tried eating better in the past the 2-3 week mark is usually when things start falling apart.  I kinda feel that happening with the darn nut butters.  And I'm sitting here wondering if it's the nut butter that I want or is it really the celery that I'm eating it with.  I'm perfectly fine eating celery alone.  I love the crunch.  I don't miss eating chips at all because of it.  But I don't think I could eat the nut butter on it's own.  I dunno.  At least I haven't gone back to sugar...thank goodness for silver linings...and for trying to be more positive in general!)

Day 51 - August 15, 2011

3 eggs, 3 mushrooms, 2 cups steamed broccoli, 1/2 avocado.
Chicken Cobb Salad from Panera.
2 carrot sticks, 5 celery sticks, the rest of the almond butter.
1/2 lb of steak, 1 zucchini, 1/2 red pepper and 4 mushrooms all grilled, lemon carrots, 1/2 cucumber.

(I almost thought about going and getting more almond butter.  :(  Instead I started to crochet a beanie for Evangeline.  I'm not using a pattern.  It's going interestingly.  I probably should have used a pattern.)

Day 50 - August 14, 2011

Chicken from costco, romaine, 1/2 cucumber, 1/2 red pepper, 2 celery stalks.
Pork fried cauliflower "rice".
Fried chicken leg and thigh from Albertsons, lemon carrots, corn/olive/pepper/onion salad.
Chicken from costco, lemon carrots, celery, a lot of almond butter.

(If I'm going to eat celery and any kind of nut butter then it needs to be earlier in the day when my brain is functioning better.  Telling myself I can handle eating it late at night is a joke.  Live and learn...but now I've made the same mistake twice.  Is that enough to convince myself that the first time wasn't a fluke.  Usually stuff like this sends me into an eating frenzy because I figure, what the hell, I've already blown it.  But almond butter or sunflower seed butter the other night doesn't seem so bad.  It doesn't wreck havoc on my body like sugar did before where I'd eat 6 cupcakes in a 15 minute period.  But the question remains, how many times do I have to make the same mistake to change what I do?)

Days 47, 48, 49: August 11, 12, 13

I finally got by computer back!

August 11-
3 eggs, 2 cups steamed broccoli, 2 cups sauteed spinach, 1/2 avocado.
Steak kabobs, grilled veggies and roasted artichoke hearts from Olive Pit Grill in Brea.
5 celery stalks, sunflower seed butter, 1/2 cucumber.
2/3 chicken breast with lemon sauce and artichoke hearts, 1/2 cucumber, leftover collard greens and eggplant livorno.

August 12 -
3 eggs, mushrooms, collard greens.
Machaca and scrambled eggs with sliced tomatoes at The Filling Station in Orange.
Shrimp and Crab Louie at King's Fish House in Orange.
2/3 chicken breast with lemon sauce and artichoke hearts, eggplant livorno, 5 radishes, 8 celery stalks, sunflower seed butter.

August 13 -
Roasted Chicken from Costco, 1/2 avocado, 1 zucchini and 1 yellow squash sauteed in olive olive, baby carrots.
Roasted Chicken from Costco, 1 romaine heart, 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 cucumber, 2 celery stalks, baby carrots.
1/2 pound pork chop, 1 steamed yellow squash.
Steak kabobs, grilled veggies and roasted artichoke hearts from Olive Pit Grill in Brea.

(On the 12th I shouldn't have been eating the celery and sunflower seed butter.  I was bored, not hungry.  I've made a list of things I can do when I'm bored and put it on my refrigerator door.  I hope that helps.  Right now I want some almond butter but I'm not hungry.  That's so annoying.  When I was driving back from Brea tonight I was thinking, if someone offered me one of those fabulous Levain Bakery cookies right now I wouldn't want it.  That was an amazing realization.  Granted I had just had dinner but still.  It's only 9:13 but I think I'm going to sleep.  That way I won't descend into an almond butter frenzy.)

Day 46 - August 10, 2011

7:00am - 3 eggs, 2 cups steamed broccoli, 1 cup sauteed spinach, 1/2 an avocado
10:30am - 10 shrimp with cilantro lime sauce and the rest of the cauliflower/zucchini from yesterday
12:15pm - Celery and sunflower seed butter
4:10pm - 2/3 of a chicken breast with lemon sauce and artichoke hearts, collard greens with bacon and onions
8:45pm - Leftover beef with tomatoes, leftover eggplant livorno, leftover collard greens

                            The new chicken dish I tried was really good.  Have leftovers for 2 meals.


(I have leftover collard greens galore.  I'll eat as much of them as I can but I dunno.  I'm going to run out of spinach and broccoli at about the same time so that's good.  It means it's time for a trip to costco.  I wonder if they sell ground lamb because I want to try a meatball recipe before school starts.  It's been 10 days and I don't really miss sugar or flour or fruit.  I'm not super stressed though either.  Next week my parents visit so that will be a true test to see how this works when things get a bit nuts.)

Day 45 - August 9, 2011

6:30am:  Broccoli quiche - no crust from the Primal Blueprint quick and easy meals cookbook
10:00am:  Beef stew meat with tomatoes, Eggplant Livorno...basically eggplant, tomatoes, onions and spices
2:00pm:  2/3 chicken breast with tahini dressing, sauteed cauliflower and zucchini in olive oil with spices, 4 steamed baby bok choy
5:30pm:  Salad with turkey and ham lunch meat and bacon with cucumbers, olives, bell peppers at Which 'Wich in Fullerton
9:00pm:  Celery and Sunflower Seed Butter

(I tried 4 new recipes today and I think 3 of them are worth fixing again.  Now I have 3 servings of the eggplant livorno left and 1 serving of the beef and cauliflower/zucchini left to eat later.  Tomorrow I don't have to drive into Orange County which is nice.  I tried to buy pork tonight at Trader Joe's but none of it looked good... they only had two options.  My plan for tomorrow is to try out two new dishes, one with vegetables and one with chicken.  We'll see how it goes.)

Day 44 - August 8, 2011

6:30am:  3 eggs, 3 mushrooms, and 2 cups spinach sauteed in olive oil and 2 cups steamed broccoli
9:30am:  Leftover Pork Fried "Rice"
12:45pm:  Steak Kabob, roasted vegetables, grilled artichoke hearts from The Olive Pit in Brea
4:15pm:  Celery and Sunflower Seed Butter
7:00pm:  Leftover chicken breast salad with carrots/radishes and tahini "dressing", 4 steamed baby bok choy, 1/3 pound lemon vinagrette carrots.

(I decided after giving the chicken salad with tahini dressing another shot that I'm not fixing it again.  There are so many better things to do with chicken.  Now I need to find some other recipe that uses tahini because I have a ton of it and it wasn't cheap so I'm not just throwing it out.  I have also realized that I like bok choy but not enough to buy it at costco.  And the pork fried "rice" was actually better today than on Saturday...interesting.  I don't know what I'm doing yet tomorrow food-wise.  And I know I need to decide now so I'm not overwhelmed tomorrow and end up making a bad choice.  Is eating this way fun or work?  I don't know yet.)

Day 43 - August 7, 2011

7:00am - Lamb burger patty, 1/3 pound of halfway cooked carrots in lemon vinagrette
12:25pm - Pork Roast, 1/4 cup cabbage coleslaw, 1/4 cup broccoli coleslaw, 4 small dill pickels in Anaheim
4:30pm - 2/3 chicken breast, 2 radishes, 6 baby carrots, 1/2 cucumber, tahini (sesame) dressing
7:45pm - 1/3 pound grilled skirt steak, 1 heart of romaine, 2/3 yellow pepper, 1/2 avocado, 4 steamed baby bok choy with coconut aminos

                                         The contents of my fridge.  A lot of veggies and some meat.

(This is when things get "dangerous".  I'm not hungry at all and I'm tired.  I have work to do for a meeting tomorrow at 2pm.  I could do what I've done in the past which is eat to stay awake and do work or I could just go to sleep.  The Yankees/Red Sox game has gone into extra innings.  I'm falling asleep as I type this.  No more eating today.  It's only 9:15 but I'm going to bed.  No chance to do dumb things.  Let's try and be smart.)

Day 42 - August 6, 2011

6:15am:  3 eggs, 1 leek sauteed in olive oil, 2 strips of bacon, 2 cups of steamed broccoli
11:40am:  Lamb burger with 2 romaine lettuce leaves and mustard, partway cooked carrots in a lemon vinagrette
3:30pm:  Pork Fried "Rice":  1/4 pound ground pork, 1/4 head cauliflower, 1/2 egg, 1/2 onion, 1/2 cup green peas, sesame oil and coconut aminos
8:20pm:  Grilled Steak Salad:  1/3 pound skirt steak, 1 heart of romaine, 1/3 yellow pepper, 2 green onions, 1/2 cucumber, 1/2 avocado all mashed up so it was kinda like dressing but not really

                      Pretty good.  Next time I might try cut up pork cutlets instead of ground pork.

(I just realized I didn't have chicken today.  Wow.  I'm not missing the sugar or flour too much yet.  But then again I'm on vacation.  I've been able to plan ahead and cook a variety of foods so I don't get bored with the same meals again and again.  I need to remember this when I get stressed in September.  Even if it takes 30 extra minutes it's worth it to try 1 or 2 new recipes a week if it means not going sugar crazy.)

Day 41 - August 5, 2011

Breakfast:  3 eggs, 2 mushrooms, 1 cup sauteed spinach, 2 cups steamed broccoli
Snack:  Green Thai chicken with water chestnuts, 1 cup baked curry cauliflower from Everyday Paleo, 4 baby bok choy with coconut aminos
Lunch:  0.4 pound of sirloin, 1/2 zucchini, 1/2 red bell pepper, 4 mushrooms
Snack:  3 stalks of celery and sunflower seed butter
Dinner:  Lamb burger patty from Mark's Primal Blueprint Fast Recipes, 1 yellow squash and 1 zucchini steamed

(It's not easy for me to eat a substantial amount of protein everytime I eat.  It's been fun trying new recipes.  The baked curry cauliflower was really good and I've never in my life purchased ground lamb before.  I don't think I'll go crazy on the sunflower seed butter like I've done in the past with almond butter.  I wasn't sure how that was going to go. 

At some point this evening when I was coming back from Fresh n' Easy, it's only an 8 minute walk down the road, I realized that the first time I try anything it usually doesn't end up going very well.  I typically listen to people's advice but don't incorporate a whole lot of it into whatever I'm doing.  I guess I'm fairly stubborn.  Then the second or third time around I usually come to see that I don't really know what I'm doing and maybe I should listen to what others are suggesting.  You would think I'd learn to just listen to people from the beginning.  Maybe someday.)

Day 40 - August 4, 2011

6:30am - Green Thai coconut milk chicken with water chestnuts, 1 cup steamed spinach
9:40am - 1/2 cucumber and 1 hard boiled egg
12:15pm - 2 cups raw spinach, 2 slices of bacon, 2 hard boiled eggs (spinach salad) and 1 cup steamed broccoli
3:00pm - 10 shrimp with a lime/jalapeno/cilantro/cumin/olive oil sauce, 1/2 an avocado, 1/2 cucumber
8:00pm - 2 skewers which amounted to 0.4 pound sirloin, 1/2 red pepper, 4 mushrooms, 1/2 zucchini

Dinner was good...and I have leftovers!

(I passed a ton of donut stores on the way to the courthouse.  A kid was selling candy in the jury room after lunch.  I went to the Whole Foods near the cupcake place in Belmont Shore and briefly thought, if this was 5 weeks ago, I'd be getting cupcakes.  None of this bothered me today though.  The dudes running the jury room were hilarious.  I had a cookbook with me and was finding recipes to try.  Jury duty couldn't have come at a better time.  I needed to laugh.)

Day 39 - August 3, 2011

6:30am - 3 eggs, 1/2 avocado, 1 cup steamed spinach

10:30am - 1 romaine heart, 1/3 yellow pepper, 1/2 english cucumber, 3/4 chicken breast

3:15pm - Salmon cake (consists of canned salmon, 1 egg, green onion, fresh ginger, dill, lemon juice fried in coconut oil) from Everyday Paleo and 2 steamed yellow squash

8:45pm - 3/4 chicken breast, 1/3 yellow pepper, 3 steamed baby bok choy with coconut aminos (like soy sauce without the soy or sugar)

I read about the coconut aminos online today and found it at Henry's in Fullerton.  The bottle doesn't lie...it fizzes like crazy.  I was surprised it tastes so good.  Will definitely be using it in the future.  I'm trying to eat more red meat.  That did not happen today.  I have to report for jury duty tomorrow.  I don't know what that is going to mean for what I eat at lunch.  I should take food with me.  I should get that ready now.  I wonder how long a hard boiled egg stays "good" out of the refrigerator?

Day 38 - August 2, 2011

Breakfast:  3 eggs, 2 cups steamed broccoli, 1/2 an avocado
Lunch:  3/4 of a chicken breast, 2 steamed yellow squash
Snack:  Last third of the beef, red pepper, water chestnut stir fry with 2 cups steamed broccoli
Dinner:  3/4 of a chicken breast, 1/3 of a yellow bell pepper, 1/2 of an english cucumber, 1 heart of romaine...ie...I had a big ass salad with no dressing.

I picked up some new ingredients at the store today, mostly spices, and I'm excited about trying some different recipes out before I get to go back to school.  It always seems better to write "get" instead of "have" and "school" instead of "work".

Day 37 - August 1, 2011

Breakfast:  3 eggs, 1 zuchinni sauteed in olive oil
Lunch:  1/3 pound of beef, 1/3 red bell pepper, water chestnuts all sauteed in olive oil and 1/2 an english cucumber
Dinner:  same as lunch

I took a nap from about 10-noon and then slept from 7:45pm until 3:21am.  When I looked at my phone at 3:21 I thought forget this I'm sleeping some more and eventually got up right before 6 with a small headache.  I need to eat a wider variety of food today so I don't get super bored.

Day 36 - July 31, 2011

Last day in NY/Plane Day:
Waffle stuffed with yogurt, bananas and blueberries, orange juice, bacon, 1/2 corned beef with swiss on pumpernickel sandwich, 2 scoops ice cream, cinnamon roll, cheddar cheese pretzel, sour patch kids, trail mix, 2 levain bakery cookies.

August should be interesting.

Days 34 and 35: July 29 and 30, 2011

July 29th:
Chocolate French Toast with strawberries, bacon at Norma's.  Chocolate chip brioche, chocolate chip banana bread, cookie from Levain Bakery.  Falafel, tahini, babaganoush, pita from The Hummus Place.  Chocolate Peanut Butter drink from Jacques Torres.

July 30th:
Banana, almond butter, cinnamon raisin bagel, plum.  Chiliquilles with scrambled eggs and bacon, mango upside down cake at Mesa Grill.  2 cookies from Levain Bakery.  Croissant from The City Bakery.  Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake from The Shake Shack.  1/2 of a corned beef and swiss cheese sandwich on pumpernickel from Carnegie Deli.  Dark chocolate Haagen Daaz ice cream bar.

When I get off the plane tomorrow I'm doing the no sugar thing.  I had thought about going to the Cheesecake Factory for a piece of cheesecake but decided against it.  I can't give myself an excuse to go nuts on sugar when I get back and I know that that piece of cheesecake would do that.  It makes me nervous just thinking about it.  I think too much.  It's 1:17am.  I should sleep.

Day 33 - July 28, 2011

Hmm...pancakes with chocolate and coconut, ham, 3 huge cookies, 1 chocolate chip brioche, lettuce wraps with provolone, peppers and 1 slice of turkey, bread, shrimp with spinach, tomatoes and orzo, 2 mini waffles with berries, chocolate and ice cream.

So I made a list, really two lists.  List one was when I'm most likely to go crazy on sugar.  List two was why I want to stop eating sugar on Monday, because I know I'm not going to stop now...the cookies are about 1/2 a mile away and there's pretty good mint chip ice cream that's even closer.

The list went like this, in this order...I pretty much wasn't thinking, I was just writing.

Why I want to stop eating sugar:
I want to like myself again.
I don't want to be out of control.
I want to be healthy.
I don't want to get diabetes.
I want to learn how to deal with my problems in other ways.
There has to be more to life than this cycle.
I don't want to keep doing things to make other people happy.
I want to learn how to be happy in spite of life's problems.
I want to learn how to be honest.
I want to do what's best for me.

Day 32 - July 27, 2011

It's 11:25pm eastern time and I'm too tired to write.  I ate at Mesa Grill (southwest) and at Swagat (indian) today.  I had churros, chocolate, ice cream and a cookie.  I'm 196 pages into a book titled, "willpower's not enough".  It's better than the books I've read about eating compulsively.  I need sleep.

Day 31 - July 26, 2011

Instead of writing today about "what I eat" (cuz I ate a lot) I think I'm gonna write about "why I eat"...

I rarely eat because I'm hungry.

I eat because I don't know what else to do.  This is really crazy because there are a ton of things to do.  I just don't know which one of the options to pick.  I don't know what I really want to be doing.  Do I want to read, or knit, or make earrings, or play computer games, or talk to people... I have no idea.  So instead I sit.  And think about eating.  And even as I'm eating I think about what I want to be eating next. 

So many good memories and events from the past involve food.  There are bad events too but when friends and family get together there is usually some meal that is taking place.  Food is "special".  And in the past two years I've arbitrarily deemed food "good" and "bad".  When I think about family meals in the past people are alive, they're young, we're all together, we haven't yet been weighed down by "life".  But people are sometimes intoxicated in these memories.  They aren't happy with who they are.  They're putting on a show.  We talk, but not about things that really matter.  I've known these people my entire life and yet I don't really "know" them or maybe I feel like they don't know me.  I feel like I'm hiding, that now I'm the one putting on a show, that if people really knew what I was thinking then they wouldn't like me.  I feel that I have important things to tell them but am not sure how they're going to take it.  I'm afraid it'll hurt them.  That I'm being selfish.  I'm afraid they won't care.  But I need them to care.  Even though I seem to "have it all together" I know that I don't.

And then the question becomes, how do you get it together?  How can a person who is 32 years old still be figuring out how to live.  I dunno.  I think I've come to grips with the fact that living is a process.  There isn't a set finish line to be crossed.  That knowledge helps a little bit.  I'm a work in progress.  "Begin to be now what you will be hereafter."... William James

Day 30 - July 25, 2011

These past 30 days seem to have gone pretty slowly.  I'm too tired to list this out in the order in which I consumed the following so here it is all jumbled up.

Pretty healthy food:  Lettuce wraps with turkey, provolone, red peppers.  Omlette with ham, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, cheese and a piece of toast.  Beef, eggplant, green bell pepper and water chestnut stir fry.

Sugary food:  One dark chocolate/pecan/carmel cluster.  Gummy candy.  5 dark carmels.  2 peanut butter/chocolate drinks...one at noon and one at 9pm.  One dark chocolate cookie.  Dark chocolate/mixed nuts candy bar.

(It was apparently a peanut butter and dark chocolate day.  Really rich.  All the sugary stuff was spread out through the course of the day.  I spent a lot of money on food today.  I'm not gonna figure out how much.  Oh crap...I just remembered that I also tried three of the smallest cupcakes ever, like the size of a quarter.  Peanut butter, mint, and red velvet.)

Day 29 - July 24, 2011

The following was eaten over a 17 hour period which I'm hoping, somehow, makes it not seem so bad.

Breakfast:  2 sourdough pancakes, 2 fried eggs, 2 sausage links at Bubby's in Tribeca.
Lunch:  Bison meatballs, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, cucumber from The Pump and a croissant from The City Bakery
Snack:  Iced Coffee
Snack again:  Peanut Butter Shake
Dinner:  Lettuce wraps with turkey, provolone, and red peppers.  2 cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery.
Snack:  Sweedish fish at intermission of the play I was at
Snack again:  Chocolate chip walnut cookie from Levain Bakery

(I got to the play early.  It was hot outside.  I went into Duane Reade (like a cvs/rite-aid) to cool down in their a/c.  Of course you have to walk by all the candy.  Sweedish fish were on sale.  2 bags, which have like 5 servings each, for $3.  One bag was $2.49.  Ugh.  I didn't really want two bags, but they were on sale.  At this point I've got the Levain Bakery cookie in my purse.  I don't really need any sweedish fish of course, but I buy two bags anyways.  At intermission I feel a little bit tired so I eat half of one bag of sweedish fish.  As I'm watching acts 3 and 4 of this play I realize that I don't really want any more sweedish fish.  But dang, I've got a bag and a half of them in my purse.  I decide to throw them out.  Which I did as I walked out of the theater when the play was over.  So I get back to the place where I'm staying and I call a friend to talk for awhile.  When we're done talking it's after midnight but I decide I still want to eat the cookie.  As I'm 3/4 done with the wonderful cookie, I actually think to myself, "Damn why did I throw those fish out?"  Umm...crazy.)

Day 28 - July 23, 2011

Breakfast:  Muscle Milk Light with frozen strawberries and bananas
Snack:  Muscle Milk Light
Lunch:  Scrambled eggs with chilis and goat cheese, ham, some "home fries", a variety of breads and berry shortcake at Mesa Grill on 5th Ave.
Snack:  Large peanut butter chocolate frappe from Little Brown on Lexington Ave.
Dinner:  Small waffle with peanut butter and whipped cream from the Waffles and Dinges Food Cart in Central Park
Snack:  Apple and almond butter

(I know I need to eat more real food tomorrow.  The fresh fruit is gone.)

Day 27 - July 22, 2011

Breakfast:  12 shrimp, one zuchinni
Lunch:  Sausage/cheese/sauce calzone from Littly Italy Pizza on 45th Street
Snack:  3 mini cannoli's from The Artisan Cannoli on Stanton Street
Dinner:  Pulled Pork and bbq sauce at Yankee Stadium
Snack:  Waffle cone with chocolate/vanilla swirl ice cream, peanut m&m's at Yankee Stadium

(The mini cannoli's were great.  The filling was flavored...peanut butter, mint, and coconut. We don't have those in CA so it was worth it going all the way down to the lower east side to get them in the 100 degree heat.  I also managed to walk three blocks out of the way.  That part wasn't much fun.  I could've done without the ice cream and peanut m&m's but it was still blasted hot and that was my main rationalization for getting them..and also being at a baseball game. 

I stopped at a CVS after the game and bought a caffeine free diet coke for the sole purpose of using my debit card and getting cash back.  Oh man...I looked at the sweedish fish, and then at the reese's pb cups, and then back at the fish, and then at the peanut butter m&m's, they were actually in my hand, and then I put them back and walked over to look at the donuts, and then back to the candy aisle to look at the hershey's special dark chocolate and twix and fish again, and then I walked to the cookie aisle to look at the milano cookies and then to the ice cream section and on my way to check out I glanced at the orange slices.  It is amazing I got out of that store without any food.  I briefly thought about getting something and eating it and then just not putting it on here but that would be blatant lying and I didn't really want to do that.)

Day 26 - July 21, 2011

Breakfast:  2 eggs, spinach, red bell pepper, mushrooms
Lunch:  Braised Beef, carrots, sweet potato chunks, onions and green bell pepper at The Pump
Dinner:  Lettuce wraps with turkey, provolone, and roasted red peppers and a croissant from The City Bakery
Snack:  Apple, Muscle Milk Protein Shake with frozen strawberries and bananas

(As I was walking through Central Park I stopped and lingered at the waffle cart.  I had already stopped and lingered outside a chocolate shop on Madison Ave.  I also had walked into Max Brenner's chocolate shop on Broadway but left empty handed.  Anyways, these waffle people beat Bobby Flay in a throwdown just like the Levain cookies did, so I'm thinking the waffle is pretty dang good.  But I moved on knowing I had a croissant in my bag that I had been dragging around in stiffling temperatures for the past 4-5 miles.  I figure the waffle cart will still be there if I decide I can't live without trying one.)

Day 25 - July 20, 2011

Breakfast:  Muscle Milk Protein Shake with frozen bananas and strawberries
Snack:  Western omlette (no cheese), broccoli, 1.5 slices of sourdough toast
Lunch:  12 shrimp, 7 grape tomatoes, zuchinni
Dinner:  Lettuce wraps with turkey, provolone, and roasted red peppers
Snack:  400 cal brazil nuts, carrots, apple

My lunch.  I could have this everyday.

(I really wanted some soft serve ice cream at the concert...or some Mrs. Fields cookies...or some peanut m&m's.  I did have 2 diet pepsi's...I didn't fall asleep during the concert though.  Yay for swearing at the sugary food and having that work again today.)

Day 24 - July 19, 2011

Breakfast:  13 or so shrimp, mushrooms, red bell pepper, 7 grape tomatoes
Snack:  Muscle Milk Light Shake
Lunch:  Omlette with bacon, leeks, potatoes, guyere cheese and a croissant from Sarabeth's on Amsterdam Ave.
Dinner:  Carrots, Lettuce wraps with salami, provolone, roasted red peppers
Snack:  Apple, Muscle Milk Light Shake with frozen strawberries and bananas

(I was super hungry this evening hence the extra snack.  I think it's because I jogged for 50 minutes and lifted weights at the gym this morning.  Everytime I saw sugary food today I said a 3 word phrase, two of them swear words, to myself.  If there were free croissants from Sarabeth's on a table alongside croissants from The City Bakery that you had to pay for, then I'd be getting out the money.)

Day 23 - July 18, 2011

Breakfast:  2 eggs, spinach, mushrooms, red bell pepper, avocado
Lunch:  Cornbread, French Roll, Corn soup with crab, Southwest Chicken Cobb Salad at Bar Americain on 52nd Street
Snack:  Apple, Muscle Milk Light with frozen strawberries and bananas
Dinner:  Carrots, lettuce wraps with salami, provolone, and roasted red peppers

(Nice to know that regular bread doesn't send me into a tailspin.  The cobb salad was so good.  Not huge like you would see at the Cheesecake Factory or Claim Jumper but very filling, especially after the soup.)

Day 22 - July 17, 2011

If it's sweet and you can think of it, I probably had it at some point today. 

So here is the list of things I thought of to do for the next two weeks whilst on vacation that don't involve food: read a book, go sit on a park bench and be "freely entertained", go to the MET since I now get in "free", pick a block and walk east/west instead of north/south, listen to music, take a nap, write someone a letter.

I was talking with my mom tonight and she mentioned, once again, needing to come inside from working out in the yard to "clean house".  I love my mom a ton but she's been talking about that for the past 5-10 years.  I realized that me talking about food woes is the same as hearing my mom talk again and again about the house.  So you probably want to say, "shut up and just do it", but you're either too nice, don't think it will matter, or hope I figure it out on my own.

Day 21 - July 16, 2011

Snack:  Muscle Milk Light protein shake with frozen strawberries and bananas
Breakfast:  Slice of Quiche with leeks, ham, and guyere cheese, 1 cup lettuce at Loeb Boathouse in Central Park
Lunch:  Corned Beef and swiss cheese sandwich on rye bread, pickles at Katz's Deli (only had one slice of bread)
Dinner:  Avocado, 3 mini cucumbers, 8 grape tomatoes, mini cannoli from DiRobertis Bakery

(Felt pretty good about today.  I drank a ton of water.  The cannoli was supposed to be the best cannoli in town according to a book I have.  I would disagree.  We have better cannolis in Whittier or at Whole Foods.)

Day Twenty - July 15, 2011

I've already decided I'm not going to write about today.  It's not any worse than any other day has been.  I just don't want to dwell.  If I were a student of mine asking me for advice, I'd tell them to learn from it, forget about it and move on.  Try harder tomorrow.  If something doesn't work, you just try again until you get it.  Because you're eventually going to get it.  So I'm going to take me own advice at 5:14pm (est) and move on.  And I know I'll eventually get it.

Day Nineteen - July 14, 2011

I'm going to post now even though it's only 2pm.  This was the fall off the wagon morning.  You may be thinking, wow, was she ever even on the wagon.  Yeah, I dunno sometimes.

Breakfast:  Coconut creme/glaze yeast donut from The Doughnut Plant
Breakfast part 2:  Corned beef omlette, 1 slice toast, 10 french fries (I've never had fries served with eggs before.) from 2nd Ave Deli
Snack:  Rugelach with nuts and dried fruit, chocolate covered peach, chocolate covered cherry thing from Russ and Daughters
Lunch:  1/2 of an almond horn and a huge chocolate covered macaroon from a place at the Grand Central Market, swedish fish
Snack:  Small chocolate/peanut butter frappe from Little Brown, 1/2 of a cinnamon babka from Russ and Daughters

Dinner has to be 2 chicken tenderloins, 1 yellow squash, 1 zuchinni, tomatoes or I've lost it completely.

Day Eighteen - July 13, 2011

Breakfast:  Muscle Milk Light with frozen strawberries and bananas, leftover shawarma, 1/2 of an everything bagel, cream cheese, tomatoes
Lunch:  3 small slices of parmesean encrusted chicken, snow peas and kale, croissant from The City Bakery
Snack:  Chocolate chip cookie from The City Bakery
Dinner:  Green Chili Cioppino, blue cornbread muffin, two small herb flavored rolls, small lime tart with blueberries from Mesa Grill

(Every meal had carbs but at least I'm pacing myself at this point.  The croissant was probably the best one I've ever had.  The outside was more like a pretzel.  Some of the bottom was a bit too done so I didn't eat that part but the rest was amazing.  No more bagels for me in NY.  They're just not that good.  I really like the sourdough and honey wheat bagels at home in AG.  The cookies at Levain are still the best, hands down.)

Day Seventeen - July 12, 2011

Breakfast:  Muscle Milk Light with frozen strawberries and bananas
Snack:  2 eggs with red bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli
Lunch:  2 chicken tenderloins, cucumber, tomatoes, mozarella cheese, basil
Snack:  Smoked salmon and cream cheese, cucumber, chocolate carmel brownie and blond brownie mini from Fat Witch Bakery at the Chelsea Market
Dinner:  Smoked salmon and cream cheese, apple, 200 cal brazil nuts

(I still have leftover shawarma and 2 more chicken tenderloins to eat sometime.  I just realized I didn't eat out today.  Wow.  Tomorrow I plan on eating out twice.  We'll see how that goes.)

Day Sixteen - July 11, 2011

Breakfast:  1/2 of an everything bagel, cream cheese, smoked salmon
Snack:  2 scoops strawberry muscle milk light
Lunch:  2 chicken tenderloins, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, asiago cheese, romaine
Snack:  Chocolate cherry roll from Amy's Bread at the Chelsea Market
Dinner:  1/2 of the following - Shawarma (Shredded chicken and lamb, I think), hummus, and laffa from Olympic Pita
Snack:  Coconut Dream Bar from Amy's Bread, caffeine free diet coke

(I threw the rest of the bagel and laffa away.  They were good but not that good.  Tomorrow is "eat what's in the fridge" day.  I bought other sweet stuff at the Chelsea Market that I have managed not to eat yet.  Amazing.  It's for tomorrow and Wednesday.)

Day Fifteen - July 10, 2011

Breakfast:  3 egg whites, red bell pepper, mushrooms, broccoli, 1/2 avocado
Snack:  200 cal brazil nuts
Lunch:  Chicken thigh meat, kale/carrot salad, yellow bean/ginger salad all from Whole Foods salad bar area
Snack:  Lobster tail pastry, canolli
Dinner:  Ostrich fillet purchased at Union Square Farmers Market, tomatoes, mozarella cheese, basil
Snack:  2 cookies from Insomnia Cookies and an ice cream thing kinda like a blizzard from McDonalds

(It's like I want to eat all the crap food in one day, like it will all be gone tomorrow.  How stupid.  Ryan said I needed a plan.  I obviously haven't had one for the first 10 days I've been here.  So I'll make a plan now for tomorrow.  It's going to involve a bagel.)

Day Fourteen - July 9, 2011

Breakfast:  Muscle Milk Light
Snack:  3 egg white omlette with red peppers and mushrooms, broccoli, 1/2 avocado, glass of orange juice
Lunch:  Beef, chicken, shrimp, baby corn, water chestnut, mushroom, broccoli stir fry at Grand Sichuan Int'l
Snack:  Pumpkin bread from a farmers market booth
Dinner:  Muscle Milk Light with frozen strawberries and bananas
Snack:  Grasshopper cupcake from Crumbs and a double chocolate chip cookie from Levain Bakery
Dessert:  Chocolate Custard with Peanut Butter Sauce and Chocolate Toffee Pieces from The Shake Shack

This was breakfast part two.

(No real food after lunch.  :(  Need to do better tomorrow.  I'm trying to get all the sweets out of my system.  Except for the cookies.  They're too good to ignore.)

Day Thirteen - July 8, 2011

Breakfast:  Museli, milk, 3/4 of an orange
Snack:  Muscle Milk Light with frozen strawberries
Lunch:  Salad with turkey, tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, onions, guacamole from The Pump near Union Square
Snack:  Lettuce wraps with ham, salami, turkey, provolone, asiago, and pesto
Dinner:  Tilapia, one cup yellow squash, one cup zuchini
Snack:  Banana with chocolate peanut butter (170cal)

(No pastries or cookies.  It's amazing.)

Day Twelve - July 7, 2011

Breakfast:  Banana and a blueberry muffin from Levain Bakery
Snack:  Huge chocolate chip walnut cookie from Levain Bakery
Lunch:  Chicken greek salad and 1/2 a pita at Eata Pita in Grand Central Station
Snack:  Mini cheesecake with chocolate swirl from Magnolia Bakery in Grand Central Station
Dinner:  Traditional tasting menu at Babbo.  It was 8 courses.  Not a ton of food really but there's no way I want to write it all here.  If you're really interested go to babbonyc.com and it's there under menu.

(Tomorrow I'm going shopping at Trader Joe's.  I want some eggs and broccoli and maybe some peppers and mushrooms.  It's time to try out the kitchen in this apartment.)

Day Eleven - July 6, 2011

Breakfast:  Apple, 200 cal brazil nuts
Snack:  Museli cereal, milk, orange
Lunch:  1/2 of a pastrami sandwich, 1/2 of a turkey sandwich, 1/2 of a potato pancake, pickles from Carnegie Deli on 7th Ave.
Snack:  A ton of gummi candy and 10 hershey's kisses
Dinner:  Lettuce wraps with a slice of ham, a slice of salami, 2 slices of provolone, red peppers, pesto
Snack:  2 pieces of fudge

(Hmm...I think I've decided that the fudge is too sweet.)

Day Ten - July 5, 2011

Breakfast:  Banana, 200 cal brazil nuts
Snack:  Carmel nut fudge
Lunch:  1/2 of a shrimp garlic tamale, crunchy soft shell crab salad, blue corn/cornmeal muffin from Mesa Grill on 5th ave.
Snack:  1/2 of a piece of coconut cake from Mesa Grill
Dinner:  Lettuce wrap with turkey, salami, cheese, red pepper, pesto, 3/4 of a piece of peanut butter chocolate fudge
Snack:  Medium Mud Slide Milkshake from The Shake Shack

(Mesa Grill was great.  I've never had a soft shell crab before.)

Day Nine - July 4, 2011

Breakfast:  Banana, 400 cal brazil nuts.
Snack:  Chocolate sourdough roll and a giant chocolate peanut butter chip cookie from Levain Bakery on 74th St.
Lunch:  Salad with carrots, cucumber, chicken, beets, cauliflower and eggplant.
Snack:  A lot of gummi candy from Dylan's Candy Bar on 3rd Ave. and 8 mini hershey candy bars.
Dinner:  Lettuce wraps with salami, turkey and provolone.
Snack:  2 servings of peanut m&m's and 4 servings of gummi bears.

(Ann thinks I'm eating a lot of candy.  I told her I'll be fine once she leaves.)

Day Eight - July 3, 2011

Breakfast:  1/2 a sandwich with pesto, roasted red pepper, romaine, salami and provolone and a banana.
Lunch:  mini cheese pizza and 3 mini pastries from Ferrara's in Little Italy.
Snack:  1 and 1/2 mini pastries from some other bakery on the Lower East Side.
Dinner:  3 mini lettuce wraps...pretty much a sandwich without the bread and a chocolate chunk cookie from Insomnia Cookies
Snack:  2 candy bars from The Chocolate Bar, a ton of sour patch kids.

(Another carb heavy day.  Not sure when that is going to change...well, when I want it to...and I know I don't want it to yet.  :(  I know I'll want to soon and then I'll be good.  I'm not binging so that's a plus.)